Anglim Private Health is a private GP surgery in Bury St Edmunds. We have a number of more complex patients accessing weight loss treatment through our service. I am regularly asked about the effect of Mounjaro or Wegovy on pregnancy and contraception.
Weight loss injections are a complex and important medication. They can make a huge difference to people’s health and wellbeing and millions of people around the world have benefitted from them. They should only be prescribed by a doctor of clinician who is trained and experienced in their use. As such you should have the opportunity to discuss your individual circumstances with your prescriber.
Can I take weight loss treatment during a pregnancy?
This is straightforward and the answer is no. The medications have never been tested during pregnancy. Pregnancy is complex and we have evolved very sophisticated systems to ensure a growing baby gets all the energy it needs. Medications which then change the way energy is consumed and processed by an individual may have unintended and serious side effects for a pregnancy. Nobody should be using weight loss injections during a pregnancy. If you are taking them and suddenly realise you are pregnant, don’t panic, but don’t take any more injections and contact your prescriber as soon as possible .
How long do I have to wait between stopping weight loss injections and becoming pregnant?
The recommendation is at least 2 months, to make sure that it completely out of your system. You should also consider taking pregnancy related supplements early. If your BMI is above 30, it is recommended you take the higher dose of 5mg folic acid for a period of time before and then during the pregnancy. This is even more important if you have been losing weight in the run up to your pregnancy. Even if your BMI has recently dipped below 30, many would still recommend the higher dose of folic acid on the back of medication assisted weight loss.
What about weight loss injections and breast feeding?
Again the new weight loss injections have never been tested with breast feeding and should not be taken while breast feeding. Restricting your calorie intake can affect the supply of breast milk and doing so with medication may have unintended and unknown effects.
What is the effect of weight loss injections on the contraceptive pill?
The weight loss medications can affect the effectiveness of the contraceptive pill. If you are taking the contraceptive pill you should seek specific advice from your prescriber. For Mounjaro, the official advice is that you should use condoms as well as the oral contraceptive pill until you have been on the same dose for over a month. As the dose normally increases each month when you start Mounjaro, it might be that you need to use condoms for the first 6 months of Mounjaro treatment. The official advice is that you don’t need to be as strict with other weight loss injections, for example Wegovy, although many prescribers will still recommend barrier contraception. If you have diarrhoea and vomiting as side effects from your weight loss injections, that may also reduce effectiveness and barrier contraception should be used.
There is no effect on contraception which is not taken orally. So if you use the patch, injection, coil, implant or ring as contraception they should work just as well while taking weight loss medication.
In summary, weight loss medications should not be used in pregnancy or while breast feeding, They can affect oral contraception. At Anglim Private Health we organise regular face to face appointments with a GP experienced at prescribing weight loss injections so that all of these issues can be discussed in full.